


[Arby] Friends

by RisenWritings



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Destiny, Destiny 2, Gen, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2019-01-03 20:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12153999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RisenWritings/pseuds/RisenWritings
Summary: Vax is a lone wolf, but she's always been able to make exceptions. Aryia-1 was one of them, a good friend she made through unconditional circumstances. When the City falls, they fight side by side, until they don't.





	[Arby] Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains **SPOILERS** about Destiny 2, so read at your own risk!  
>  Once again a huge shoutout to my babe Blue, who inspired me to write this based on a story she wrote herself! :^)

The rain had been falling down all day, clattering against the window of Vax' room. She quietly sits there, Ghost hovering next to her. 

"You have not moved all day, Guardian," it speaks, machinery softly whirring as if to imitate worry. 

Vax looks at Ghost, her face stoic but her eyes worried. "It feels off, does it not?" she whispers, looking back outside over the Last City. "The whole day feels off, stuck on a repeat, a loop."

Ghost contemplates this statement. "Guardians have been scouting, Fallen usually cower during this weather which means more areas will be clear, why won't you join them?" it then asks, seeming to cock its head. 

"... I do not know. But I feel like I am needed elsewhere. The Cosmodrome is not the place for me to be right now," Vax admits, biting her lips. 

"It is 1 AM, where could you possibly be needed?" Ghost wonders aloud, and then it turns around as it hears heavy footsteps padding through the rain outside. 

Vax slides off the windowsill, tiptoes to her door. "Did you hear that?" she wonders, opening the door and squinting her eyes at the heavy rain blowing into her room. "I wonder who that could be, it sounded as if they were in a hurry."

Ghost flies over to Vax, looks outside with her. "It could be Commander Zavala, maybe something happened."

Vax looks at Ghost and closes the door again, starting to undress from her pyjama's and into her armour. "I need to know if something is going on," she murmus, snatching her helmet from the bed and running outside, closing the door just in time for Ghost to follow her. 

Vax takes heavy and fast steps through the heavy rain, making her way to the Vanguard halls when she suddenly hears soft weeps. She halts and looks around, the rain slowly coming down to a drizzle around her. 

At first she thinks the cries are from pain, from the med-bay, but then she realises she is too far away from it and the weeps are from _sorrow_ , grief. She looks at Ghost and then has her helmet transmatted away as she makes her way over to the source of the sound. 

Somewhere in her mind she thinks she _really should be going after Zavala_.

The cries are coming from a tree, and she looks up, vaguely seeing something dark shiver between the leaves. She debates on whether to climb up or not, knowing that if it was her she would've wanted to be left alone. 

But she can't help but feel the intense pain this Guardian seems to have, so she starts climbing the tree loud enough to make the Guardian aware of her presence. 

When she arrives the shaken-up exo is looking at her, somehow having tears on her cheeks. She is clutching a ruined cloak. 

Vax does not question it, she simply nods in courtesy of her fallen Guardian and stays silent, understanding that words are not needed. 

-

The City is in ruins. 

Smoke makes it hard to see and invades Vax' lungs, she's wheezing despite her helmet, but she does not stop firing. In the background Aryia is calling out to her ghost, and Vax vaguely wonders if this will be the end. 

She whips her head around when she hears Aryia's distressed shout, but breathes out in relief as Louis-77 had simply tackled her to the ground to safe her from a Lieutenant. She shoots it quickly in the head and reloads before throwing a grenade out. 

Connor shouts to Aryia about something, but everything sounds so far away Vax can barely focus on it. She glances over at Aryia, making sure her friend was safe. 

And that meant she didn't see the warbeast coming. 

It tackles Aryia to the ground and mauls into her arm, growling and yanking it straight off as it holds Aryia in its grip and has her cry out in pain. 

Vax lets out a sound she can not hear, and she leaps over to Aryia, gripping the beast by its jaw and pulling it back with so much force it rips the head straight off instead. Its body falls motionless to the ground. 

Aryia is bleeding profusely, motionless. Vax feels the blood drain from her cheeks and kneels down immediately, inspecting the wound. 

_This shouldn't happen to an Exo. They do not bleed, they do not feel pain. The Light is gone from her._

"Heh, it's been a while since I've felt this much pain..." Aryia murmurs. 

Vax lets out a sound, a pained cry, so soft only Ghost could hear it. 

Aryia says something else, but it's blocked out by a high tone ringing through Vax' ears. She is joking about something when she suddenly grips Vax' hand. 

Vax grips back so tightly she would've broken a bone had it been a human. 

They do not speak, just look at each other as Vax' vision gets cloudy and tears roll down her cheeks, drip down on her visor. She is saying so many things but words fail to escape her, her lips trembling. 

Vax hears the cabal coming closer, the fearful shrieks from the civilians puncturing through the high tone invading Vax' ears and bringing her back to the present. She takes a sharp breath in, one last look at Aryia, and then gets up and starts firing again, her hands shaking. 

Aryia speaks of letting her behind, but Connor is not having it. Vax nods in agreement, looks back at her friend. 

"Guys, you have to... you know you do." there is sadness in her voice, and Vax knows she is crying under the helmet. 

"That doesn't mean we want to. You're such a damned idiot." Connor murmurs, his voice was filled with anger and sadness. 

Louis approaches and crouches down next to her. He places a hand on his heart and then gently rests his hand on Aryia's chest for a moment, before picking her up. 

He says something, but all Vax can hear is the ringing shot of a rifle, and she whips her head around to see a squadron of Cabal Legionaries making their way over to them. 

Vax is about to start running with the rest of the Guardians when Connor speaks, halts, and looks back at Louis, letting out a sound Vax had not heard him make before. 

She glances over and then a look of absolute horror takes over her face, her breath suddenly unable to reach her lungs as Louis falls to the ground, Aryia tumbling to the ground with cries of grief. 

_Not Louis too._

Vax watches in horror as blood starts pooling beneath Louis' body. In the corner of her eyes she sees Aryia forcing herself to stand, grunting and trembling. 

"Run," she breathes, determined. "Run and don't look back." she says, before starting to hobble towards the horde of Cabal. 

Vax does not hesitate, she starts making quick strides to follow Aryia, help her friend. 

But Connor holds out an arm and steps in front of her. They do not speak, but Vax feels a burning rage flame up inside her, make her feel the flames encapsulate her Light and set her ablaze. 

"She’s already dead. She’ll only slow us down," Connor then speaks, his voice emotionless. "Our top priorities are the lives of the civilians."

Vax understands, balls her hands into fists and feels herself shaking with pure hatred and _so much grief_. She nods strictly, refuses to look behind Connor and watch her friend's death. 

She hurries towards the front of the group and leads them into safety through the destruction of the City, crying under the safety of her helmet as she does. 

Once they reach the rendezvous point she takes heavy strides, almost a titan's, over to Commander Zavala and demands to go to the ship of whoever did this. 

When she falls down, the dark and burning sky all around her, she weeps, her body limp as she weeps for her fallen family.


End file.
